Conservation biologist bringing you positive stories of conservation in action. Join me as I go behind the scenes to tell the stories of the people and the projects working in conservation around the world. ru-vid.com Twitter: twitter.com/SimonDures Instagram: instagram.com/SimonDures
Great video and urgently important. Thank you. I used to hill walk in The Highlands all the time. Thought it was a beautiful and wild landscape. Didn't give the lack of trees a moments thought. Just assumed that was how it was meant to be. But once you know, you can't unknow. Once you see, you can't unsee. The trees cling on in small pockets in inaccessible places, and most of the remaining woodland is 'ghost' woodland. Not everywhere, but mostly, with large swathes of the Highlands completely devoid of trees. Not because they won't grow, but because they can't grow. They're eaten. Until we grasp the nettle and properly replace the effects of the wolf and the lynx Scotland will continue to be mostly barren. And yet what potential we have for carbon capture and a biodiversity explosion.
You do indeed. There is nothing wrong with a bit of low nutrient and high moisture soils and it is these that characterise much of the Caledonian forest soils and why species’ like sun dew are relatively common in these areas. It is the extent and growing nature of the peat hags (which also still support sun dews) that is the worry. Disturbance is wonderful for any ecosystem, so long as it isn’t excessive. Of course knowing what should be considered excessive is the challenge. Some species will always thrive in degraded landscapes, but one or two unique species doesn’t generally make for a healthy ecosystem. I have long considered making a film about the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, which identifies this very fact. The geek in me claims this as my favourite ecological hypothesis 🤓
Need to call this out, the crofters where not given other jobs on the estates during the Highlands clearance, they were then contracted as indentured servants, (slaves) under contract to work on plantations in the new world, like Jamaica.. Whereas you would work your fare off as the kindly lord or lady would pay your fare to the new world and would have the opportunity to buy your way out of your contract through hard work. I suggest you plant a tree for every poor tenant farmer who was thrown off their land. And your looking for volunteers, more slaves.
This was certainly a particularly crap period of Scottish history. My very basic understanding of the clearances was that the first phase of the clearances involved the clan chiefs, who had then been made dukes, breaking up the traditional townships and moving tenants to smaller Croft’s as well as to other industries like kelp and fishing. I think that is what David was referring to but didn’t want to go into details because of how complex and understandably emotive the topic is (I apologise if I have this wrong, history is not my expertise). I would happily look to plant a tree for all those displaced, it would be a wonderful memorial to those people who suffered from the clearances. I would also suggest that volunteers are exceedingly willing to give their time, to suggest a comparison with indentured servitude is a disservice to those people who suffered from the ‘assisted emigration’ of the 18 hundreds.
Since the beginning of this project in the southern Scotland area how many birds have been released and does anyone know how they are doing and if they have gone on to breed and if they have settled in the south?
33 relocated to date. The translocated individuals are still young (the oldest only 5) and have only just begun to reach the age which they start breeding, so we are still waiting. However, a few of them have started pairing up and building nests and some even have laid eggs, but no chicks yet from the trans located birds. For more news keep an eye on the blog on the project website - www.goldeneaglessouthofscotland.co.uk
I'm glad this video comes out in favour of 'deliberately' planting trees, rather than just leaving land fallow to regenerate on its own. Often, land is just so depleted, so bare and open, those creatures that do all the planting avoid this sort of terrain for fear of exposure to predators. I only have a little bit of land here in Scotland (or a large-ish garden by English standards. Probably about 2.5 acres altogether (a sliver of it already established woodland with a stream as its border. The rest was originally grass - where grass could grow, but there was a lot of exposed rock, centuries of intensive sheep farming having gnawed everything down. So, I 'could not' plant trees to begin with (even though I had moved here with potted trees ready to go). The soil was too shallow, and deer had replaced the sheep, keeping that grass low. I waited for tree seeds to start popping up in that grass, yet nothing happened, even though we had a flourishing red squirrel pipulation at the time, plus mice and types of bird that will bury seed stashes. Several years passed, as I let the grass grow unmowed, to slowly build soil levels, adding only additional leaves from my bit of woodland, kitchen scraps, and the odd finished potted herb. But not one tree seed grew on that land. It took 'me' to start that work, as I planted a hedge to bridge my neighbour's woodland with the riparian stream. Once that hedge started to grow, animals began using it as a highway. Indeed, I was quite surprised just how much life suddenly started to use it one summer - wandering pheasants, small birds, burrowing animals, hedgehogs, foxes and badgers. It was clear they needed cover, and once they started to use this part of the garden - Hazel and Oak seedlings started to appear here and there. I added Alder, Birch, Rowan and Beech, and the first two are now self seeding. The more I plant - the more Nature matches my efforts. I may plant a 100 trees one Autumn, and not only does she add a few of her own - I'll discover a few new wild flowers, orbird, or fungi. After 21 years, this past year has been unmatched with the number of new species Nature has introduced. 7 new wild flowers, lizards, Goldcrests, and this weird blue and copper fly (or perhaps a bee. I have been unable to identify it). So all this prives to me that helping Nature by planting a range of trees that we find easier to grow from seed or cuttings does not limit that land's capability of recovery. From out of nowhere, it seems, wildlife will bring in a stock of plants to add a much greater variety to whatever you put into the ground. I wish I could help out at that nursery, but if there's anything that does give me stress - it's travelling. I will have to make do with my piece of garden (which isn't the only project I have in mind. A couple of miles walk away, there is a bit of abandoned ground, prone to flooding now, but used for cattle not so long ago. I think the introduction of a few appropriate species from the surrounding neighbourhood will help kickstart this area into action. Anyway, always good to see a nice, young channel on a subject I like, so pressed like and subscribed. Good luck!
What a great story and a perfect example of how we need actions such as yours to help kickstart nature into recovery. We can't expect trees to grow when the seed source simply doesn't exist anymore. Well done with what you have done, it sounds wonderful!
You mentioned about reconnecting the forest… I think that all the remaining/undeveloped riparian areas (about 50 meters on either side of natural rivers) should be declared protected all around the world. The land should then be rewilded… providing a space for native trees and wildlife. It will then act as a wildlife corridor.
#PLANTMORETREES #INVESTinBIODiversity "Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realize we cannot eat money." Cree Indian Prophecy
Simon Dures is a dignified follower of Richard St Barbe Baker, the man of the trees !!! Hope he can contemplate his trees still for another 50 years...
Nicely done, I used to live in the UK and planted many hundreds of oaks willows birch alder etc etc I have no idea how many but could be well on the way to 1000. that was my relaxation place, planting trees, I now live in Canada and spend a lot of my time clearing deadfall off of trails etc . and planting trees and doing what i can, it is one of the most relaxing things in the world planting trees. keep up the good work hats off to you guys.
Well done and great to hear. There is little that is as satisfying as planting a tree and getting to watch it grow and mature, knowing it will long outlive us!
@@SimonDures Thats for sure, the oaks i have planted could live to be 600 years old, the yews much older. no one will care who planted them but they will enjoy sitting in their shade thats for sure.
Misguided in my view and nothing to be proud of. Is this project about making ppl feel good and ticking boxes in terms of number of trees planted? How will a forest be diverse or adaptable to climate change if full of the wrong type of tree or thousands of clones?
Why misguided? What makes you think they are using the wrong type of tree? As David explained, it is only native trees and stock from the Cairngorms that are used and the whole premise is to avoid clones and increase the diversity of those trees that have declined due to past management practices. This is done by propagating trees native to and collected from the region, which are currently at such low density due to a huge reduction in tree cover that they cannot reproduce sexually. This low density is leading to a lack of diversity both within and between species. By utilising a seed stand, the nursery facilitates sexual reproduction, avoiding clonal swamping, and increasing genetic diversity. Currently, the forests have very little resilience to climate change, diseases or other stochastic events because of low genetic diversity, so the nursery aims to increase the genetic resilience and the populations of those tree species that will not recover without human intervention (or at least not in a reasonable time period).
@@SimonDures but those trees they are taking stock from as you explain in your video have no future, they are not regenerating on their own as there are no predators to keep the herbivores in check. The top level predators as it turns out are key stone species that make the forest as you want it possible. To be fair this is not a criticism aimed solely at you instead it's a recurring problem faced by many forests and ecosystems around the world. Indeed other videos have talked about the thorny issue of bringing back bears, wolves, beaver etc to Scottish highlands..
Yes, all the trees are not only native to Scotland but come from the local area. In fact, where possible the project focusses on regeneration from the current seed source
#PLANTMORETREES #INVESTinBIODiversity "Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realize we cannot eat money." Cree Indian Prophecy
Has to be a balance between Forrest and open spaces remember that more life depends on open spaces then a covered Forrest including man we need to have some sun to thrive
So how much did you get out of the SNP over the years? Presumably you were able to lobby them successfully as they believed in Scotland and the environment. Was there a law brought in to reduce deer numbers ? Do tell your success...
There are not enough driven humans in our beautiful world. His emotional connection to his calling in life is truly inspirational. Thanks for sharing your story
You are definitely an inspiration Alan. We are doing a similar project in Queensland, although on a much reduced scale. In 6 years we have turned a flogged out sheep paddock into a bit of a forest forest. The wildlife that has moved in is amazing, and the birds in particular are exceptional seed dispersers. There are already tree seedlings popping up we haven't seen before. All of our neighbours and visitors are in awe of the transformation in such a short time period of time. They ooh,and ahh and then go home to their ride on mowers...like you say, you can't just talk about it. We hope our legacies aren't in vain, but at least we can say we left the world at least a little better than we found it. You should get a Nobel prize. Cheers mate from down under!
Big thanks from Poland ! We should back to nature because we are part of it . Maybe someday you will visit the last virgin forest in Europe- Bialowieza forest 🙂 see you there !
In the case of the farmer featured, it is his attempt to secure food supply by restoring the degraded soil to ensure the soil of his land can continue to support livestock into the future, whilst also increasing the nutritional value of the meat that is reared.
I remember openly public contacting on Alans blog , which was meant to be a comment but ended as an essay. I basically said Alan and his charity - trees for life were the only conservationists with common sense that had true morals working traditionally in line with nature. They only collected native tree seeds from that area they planted and knowing what trees grew there i.e the pine tree was back bone of the boreal forest , in our case the scots pine. The riparian area lochs, rivers and streams were birch mainly but also trembling aspen, wild bird cherry and down on the wet damp areas... Willow and alder. Unlike the rest who just planted any tree that was native... Mainly the fast spreading coloniser birch without a scots pine in mind. Im talking central , east and north highlands on peat soil which is mostly what the Highlands are. Ofcourse there were scots Oak on lower land and amongst riparian areas too. I also agreed 💯 that we needed predators back here to keep the browsers moving to allow generation. But first we need the land to heal by planting native forests in a much more *larger scale* and let them become established first. We know its impossible to get the 4 x deer numbers the land can hold we have down. So reality is deer exclosures / fencing. Exclosures also allow any rare understorey to make a come back. It takes 30 yrs if no trees or seed and planted as saplings, to evolve into an established forest. Once there established its more important to save the extinction of our rare wildlife we have such as red squirrels, black and capercaper grouse , scottish wild cat , wild boar etc excetra! Only then can we bring back predators such as Lynx ( although a few places can sustain lynx like cairn gorms area , glen tanner and maybe affric only when it has reached west coast and joined up with glen morrison and glen cannich as lynx males fight each other to the *death* for territory and there territory needs to be 100 sq kilometres each male. Its insane and wrong to bring back predators as too little native forest cover as it is, we have only 1.5 % mature native woodland! We need to bring over capercaillies to be introduced again, as there dying out ( extinct ) for the 3rd time in Row. See the red danger species for scotland and be shocked , our land is an empty barren wet desert. Not just trees but the fruits and berries 🍒 the birds and animals depend on are long gone thanks to the aristocrats , gun ho, burning the land for sub species moor grouse and clear felling the native forests for fast growing monoculture, fat profit plantations... Mans savage greed for the love of mammon instead of our Creator heavenly Fathers laws of living humble and only taking what we need! The land is so degraded the peat haggs are the final stage before desert , the very last few minerals washed out by torental rain as the heather, a weed family can not stitch it together any longer as roots too short especially munched to nothing by deer. The land slides are everywhere now and reveal the sandy desert for all to see. I'm ashamed for the people in Scotland to have allowed it , 100,000 people removed that lived in harmony with nature for SHEEP and wealthy greedy foreigners to destroy everything... There play ground they called Scotland Do not give a single donation to conservation's , let the wealthy pay to restore the irreversible damage the caused because it's too late already... The DND times are here and God has ordered peace to be taken away from earth, the four horses are released of WAR, FAMINE, DISEASE AND PESTILANCE ALL WICKED WILL SEE DEATH. The MEEK shall inherit the earth after they rise from the ASHES and peace will descend from the heavens for a thousand years. All yous who never cared about anything are going to face death , now go get your next Georgia stones jab for the love of your masters .... Manic suicide.
Happy International Women's Day 2024! I hope this helps celebrate the amazing conservation work being undertaken all around the world, often against the odds, by women like Bertha.
